Written Answers

Tuesday 20 June 2000

Scottish Executive

Children

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children made the subject of residential supervision orders by Children’s Panels in the last year have not been placed in care within (i) two weeks, (ii) four weeks and (iii) six weeks of the order being made, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: I refer to the answer I gave to question S1W-7690.

Children

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by Reporters to (i) Children’s Panels and (ii) the Children’s Hearing System since 1997.

Peter Peacock: This is a matter for the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration. The information requested is not held centrally.

Children

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children subject to home supervision requirements by Children’s Panels in the last year have not been allocated to a social worker within (a) one month, (b) six months and (c) one year of the order being made, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: Implementation of supervision requirements made by children’s hearings, whether for supervision at home or in residential accommodation, is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

  The Time Intervals Working Group (TIWG) Blueprint for the processing of children’s hearings cases is an inter-agency code of practice. It set national standards with effect from 1 April 1999 aimed at streamlining the handling of cases through the system. One of these standards requires local authorities to give effect to supervision requirements with no condition of residence within 15 working days of the date of issue by the children’s hearing. The objective is to give effect to supervision requirements without delay. Monitoring is the responsibility of review groups established by each local authority. Reports on performance against the TIWG standards are currently being received.

Climate Change Levy

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of any additional costs to centrally funded further and higher education institutions as a result of the climate change levy and whether it will detail any such costs.

Henry McLeish: No. The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils are responsible for allocating public funding to Scotland’s further and higher education institutions, and they do this with reference to levels of relevant activity rather than specific itemised costs.

Enterprise

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by Scottish Enterprise annually since 1997.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by each local enterprise company annually since 1997.

Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and I have asked the chairman to reply to the member. A copy of the reply will be placed in SPICe.

Enterprise

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much support Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise currently give to community groups seeking to promote wider access to arts and culture facilities in rural areas.

Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and I have asked the respective chairmen to reply to the member. Copies of their replies will be placed in SPICe.

Enterprise

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce coterminous boundaries for local enterprise companies, tourist boards and local authorities.

Henry McLeish: Many areas in Scotland have co-terminous boundaries already. The Scottish Executive has no plans at the present time to change the boundaries of local enterprise companies, tourist boards or local authorities. The current Review of the Enterprise Networks is considering how the roles and responsibilities of the various organisations involved in support for tourism can best implement "A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism".

Ferry Operations

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has sought or obtained regarding any effect of European Commission directives on state aid to ferry services if such operations were devolved to a transport authority.

Sarah Boyack: Under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, information is not disclosed if to do so would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion, including internal opinion, advice and deliberation. This is the case for internal consideration of the effect of European Commission regulations and guidelines on state aid to ferry services.

Finance

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the new membership and remit of the Scottish Valuation and Rating Council.

Mr Jack McConnell: The membership of the new council is as follows:

  


Chairman 


Professor Gordon Milne* 




Members 


Ken Barclay, CBI, Scotland 



 

John Butters, Chairman, Valuation Appeal Chairmen 
Committee 



 

John Cardwell, President, Scottish Assessors 
Association 



 

Ian Coull,* Director, Sainsbury’s 



 

Christopher Haddow QC*, Faculty of Advocates 



 

Geoffrey Johnston,* Scottish Chamber of Commerce 



 

Fiona Lees, Depute Chief Executive, East Ayrshire
Council 



 

John Loudon, British Hospitality Association 



 

Alistair MacLeary, Lands Tribunal for Scotland 



 

Professor Douglas Mair,* Heriot Watt University 



 

Neil Menzies, Chemical Industries Association 



 

Bill Neish,* Marks and Spencer (retired) 



 

Councillor Craig Roberton, 
CoSLA 



 

Tom Scholes,* Society of Local 
Authority Chief Executives 



 

John Sharp, Federation of 
Small Businesses 



 

Tracey White, Assistant General 
Secretary, STUC 




  * Continuing member

  I have asked the council to review the 2000 Revaluation of Non-Domestic Rates and aspects of the existing non-domestic rating system in Scotland, such as the recommendations of the Land Reform Policy Group and empty property rate relief.

Fisheries

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to allow boat dredging for cockles in the Solway.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Executive has no plans to allow boat dredging for cockles in the Solway. Following annual scientific survey and advice the fishery remains closed to mechanical fishing to allow continued stock rebuilding. I understand that there is local interest in applying for a Regulating Order to cover the Solway Firth, and I look forward to considering any proposals.

Flooding

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make a decision regarding any Bellwin funding for the city of Edinburgh following the recent flooding, when such payments would be made and whether it can make a projection of the sum to be provided.

Mr Jack McConnell: A decision on whether to trigger the Bellwin Scheme for the recent flooding will depend on information yet to be submitted by the City of Edinburgh Council on the scale of the emergency and its associated costs.

Genetically Modified Crops

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications of the Advanta GM seed contamination are for the farm scale evaluation programme in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: In our efforts to ensure that the removal of oilseed rape crops contaminated with GM material is monitored carefully, we have sought detailed information on the precise locations where the crop has been planted. During this exercise we have established that the "control" plot of conventional oilseed rape on the farm in Aberdeenshire which is participating in the GM farm scale evaluation programme has been sown with the seed in question.

  I have considered carefully the implications for the future of this site within the trial programme. We have taken into account the views of the independent Scientific Steering Committee which oversees the trial programme and of ACRE, as well as consulting other regulatory bodies and the SCIMAC company involved with the Daviot site. As a result of these extensive consultations, I am satisfied that the validity of the trial has not been compromised and our scientific advisers have confirmed there are no implications for the safety of the surrounding environment.

  It is important to recognise that there is a very pertinent difference between a crop which is grown for commercial purposes and the one which is being grown as part of this trial. In the latter case, both the GM trial crop and the control crop will be destroyed upon completion of the research and will not be marketed. I have been given reassurances which allow me to state categorically that neither of these crops will enter either the human or animal food chain.

  The strict conditions under which these trials are taking place mean that this site will be carefully and rigorously monitored. The separation distances already in place are intended to prevent either crop cross-pollinating with adjacent crops: and any volunteers which appear will be removed and destroyed.

  The contamination of the control crop with a GM variety does not affect the scientific merit of the trial. I must stress that the GM crop itself is not being assessed in these trials - it has been subjected to and passed numerous safety checks before it could be grown as part of the trial. The purpose of the farm trials is to assess the possible impact on the environment of growing a GM crop in commercial conditions and, in particular, using the herbicides necessary to give the GM plant its "advantage". The herbicide to which the GM variety is tolerant is being used on that GM crop. The conventional crop which is growing alongside is being treated with an entirely different set of herbicides. As the GM contaminant in the conventional crop will not be treated with the herbicide to which it is tolerant, its presence will make no difference to the outcome of the trial. Furthermore, as the GM varieties growing in the two halves of the field are different, it remains possible to identify and measure gene flow from the trial crop.

  The unintentional contamination of rape crops growing throughout the UK is a most unfortunate and highly regrettable incident. We are already working at a UK level to introduce measures which will minimise the possibility of a recurrence. In the case of the contaminated crop which is being grown at the Daviot site, however, the strict controls which are an integral part of the evaluation programme and our regulatory regime ensure that neither it nor the wholly GM crop pose a safety threat to either the public or the environment.

  The Executive remains committed to the UK farm scale evaluation programme as a sensible and precautionary approach which will provide us with the necessary scientific information which is vital to enable a soundly-based view to be reached on the future of GM crops in this country.

Health

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with head injuries have been discharged from hospitals in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Susan Deacon: The number of people discharged from NHS hospitals in Scotland following treatment for a head injury is shown in the table below. Information for 1995-96 is not shown since an earlier version of the coding system was in use at the time and is not directly comparable with later years.

  Head injuries have been diagnosed using ICD10 (International Classification of Diseases (Volume 10) and are split into "Traumatic Head Injury" and "Other Head Injury" groups, based on principal diagnosis only. Information is shown for patients admitted as emergencies only.

  

 

1996-97 


1997-98 


1998-99 


1999-2000* 




Traumatic Head Injury 


1,952 


1,750 


1,480 


1,284 




Other Head Injury 


9,853 


9,825 


9,699 


10,079 




  * Provisional

  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01).

Health

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with head injuries in Scotland receive physiotherapy services in the community.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with head injuries in Scotland receive speech therapy services in the community.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what physical and speech rehabilitation services are available over the long term for patients with head injuries in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The assessed needs of patients requiring long-term physical and speech therapy treatment as a consequence of head injury are met largely through community services which may be provided in a variety of settings, including health centres and the patient’s home.

Highlands and Islands Airports

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited annually since 1997.

Sarah Boyack: This is a matter for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd. The information requested is not held centrally.

Nursing

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses are expected to graduate from the College of Nursing at Ninewells Hospital in the year 2000 and how many of these graduates are expected to be employed by Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust in the year following their graduation.

Susan Deacon: In the year 2000, 93 students graduated from the University of Dundee School of Nursing and Midwifery in the spring of the year 2000 with a further 161 students expected to graduate in the autumn.

  Approximately 25% of those students graduating in February of this year were recruited to Tayside University Hospitals Trust. The Scottish Executive has been advised by the Trust that, while it is difficult to predict what might happen in August 2000, it is likely that the recruitment situation will be similar to that in February 2000.

Parliamentary Questions

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S1W-5364 lodged on 1 March 2000.

Peter Peacock: I refer to the answer I gave to question S1W-7690.

Planning

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers local authorities have to ensure property developers do not prolong or do not finish developments, and what action it plans to take to strengthen local authorities’ powers to deal with such situations.

Sarah Boyack: Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 provides that development to which a planning permission relates must be begun within five years of the date on which the permission was granted unless the permission stipulates a different period.

  Section 61 of the Act provides that, if after the expiry of the five year (or other) period a planning authority is of the opinion that the development will not be completed within a reasonable period it may serve a completion notice stating that the planning permission will cease to have effect at the expiration of a period (not less than 12 months) specified in the notice. Such a notice has no effect unless it is confirmed by the Scottish Ministers.

  Planning authorities also have powers under section 65 of the Act to revoke or modify planning permission. Where the permission relates to the carrying out of building or other operations these powers may be exercised at any time before those operations have been completed; and where the permission relates to the change of use of any land, at any time before the change has taken place. In exercising these powers authorities may be liable to claims for compensation in terms of section 76 of the Act.

  Should a building or site become unsafe, there are powers under the Building (Scotland) Act 1959 to require a developer to make them safe.

  The Executive has no plans to amend the planning provisions and, although the building control system is under review, there are no plans at present to extend the relevant powers.

Prison Service

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisons and young offenders’ institutes do not have internal sanitation in each cell; which institutions continue to require inmates to "slop out", and how many inmates are affected in each institution.

Angus MacKay: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. Mr Cameron’s response is as follows:

  At present, 10 establishments do not have integral sanitation in each cell but five provide access to other forms of appropriate night sanitation. Institutions which still have an element of slopping out, together with the number of available prisoner places involved, are:

  


Barlinnie 


583 




Edinburgh 


228 




Perth 


168 




Peterhead 


295 




Polmont 


164

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by the Scottish Prison Service annually since 1997.

Angus MacKay: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is as follows:

  

 

£ million 




1997-98 


2.383 




1998-99 


2.493 




1999-2000 


2.686 




  Note: the cost information above excludes fuel used in vehicles, which is not measurable separately from other vehicle costs.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what direction and guidance it has given to the Strategic Rail Authority regarding the Orton Loop and the improvement of the Aberdeen to Inverness line.

Sarah Boyack: Under the provisions made in the UK Transport Bill, introduced on 1 December 1999, the Scottish Ministers will be able to issue advice to the Strategic Rail Authority for passenger rail services that begin and end in Scotland. Since the Bill has not completed its passage through Parliament at Westminster, the Scottish Ministers are not yet able to exercise these powers.

  Railtrack are currently improving infrastructure to reduce the journey time between Aberdeen and Inverness by 10 minutes by 2001. Additional upgrading of the route would be necessary if there were to be increased frequency and a further reduction in journey time.

Roads

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the trunk road network requires to be repaired during this financial year.

Sarah Boyack: The percentage of the trunk road network requiring to be repaired during this financial year, based on treatment type, is as follows:

  1. Reconstruction 1.12%

  2. Strengthening (overlay and inlay) 5.17%

  3. Surface Dressing 14.02%

Roads

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many kilometres of non-trunk road network there are and what percentage requires to be repaired during this financial year.

Sarah Boyack: Table 5.2 in the 1999 edition of Scottish Transport Statistics indicates that as at 1 April 1998 there were 49,857 kilometres of non-trunk road network. The Scottish Executive has no information on the percentage to be repaired by local authorities during this financial year.

Roads

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the road network showed improvement or deterioration in terms of maintenance need for the last year for which figures are available.

Sarah Boyack: The last year where information is available is 1998-99 and the trend data over a fixed sample of trunk roads, which are surveyed every four years, showed a slight improvement from the previous year.

  Condition trend data for the trunk road network is shown in table 5.5 of Scottish Transport Statistics No.18 1999 Edition. A copy of this document is held in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  Similar data for the non-trunk road network is not held centrally.

Roads

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland’s local roads network will be resurfaced this financial year.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not hold the information requested.

Roads

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government about proposals to allow 44 tonne trucks on Scottish roads.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has made no representations to the United Kingdom Government on this matter.

Student Finance

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-1312 by Henry McLeish on 9 March 2000, whether it will list all the meetings it has had with the Department of Social Security regarding the recommendations of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Henry McLeish: The Executive has met with representatives of the Department for Social Security and the other UK Education Departments on three occasions since January this year to discuss the interface between the student support system and the benefit system. The dates were 29 February, 28 March and 27 April. The next meeting is due to take place on 20 June.

Tourism

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an update on the Ossian project and when it will be possible to book accommodation.

Henry McLeish: A pilot booking scheme involving around 70 serviced accommodation providers is underway. The full system will be launched in July.

Tourism

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the Ossian project to date and how much remains to be spent.

Henry McLeish: Between 1998-99 and 2000-01 the core costs/funding of Ossian have been £4.01 million. In addition, over the first two years STB received "in kind" private sector support of around £1 million (banking services, software, telecommunications).

  Ongoing costs for development and maintenance will be in the region of £1.5 million per annum in current prices.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by the Scottish Tourist Board and each local tourist board annually since 1997.

Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Tourist Board and the Area Tourist Boards. I shall ask the Chairmen of these bodies to write to you direct.

Transport

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, during the development of its integrated transport policies, consideration was given to introducing a levy on customer parking at out-of-town retail developments specifically in order to improve the ability of town centres to compete with such developments.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7628.

Working Groups

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the individual members, including their remuneration and expenses, of the Deprivation Review Steering Group, together with the criteria for selecting members of the group, its budget allocation and the number of times it has met so far.

Mr Jack McConnell: The membership of the steering group, which I chair, is as follows:

  Scottish Executive

  Mr Jack McConnell, Minister for Finance

  Ms Wendy Alexander, Minister for Communities

  Ross Finnie, Minister for Rural Affairs

  Mr Tom McCabe, Minister for Parliament

  Mr Frank McAveety, Deputy Minister for Local Government

  Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

  Councillor David Green, Highland Council

  Councillor Corrie McChord, Stirling Council

  Councillor Rob Murray, Angus Council

  Councillor Craig Roberton, Glasgow City Council

  The ministerial representatives were nominated by The Scottish Executive. The CoSLA representatives were nominated by the convention. No remuneration or expenses are paid to members and the group has no separate budget.

  The steering group has met once, on 5 April. The aim is to complete the review this year, in time for the conclusions to be considered for the 2001-02 local government settlement distribution.